Emission-free commuting in Thailand

Seven new vessels joined the first test boat, which has been successfully transporting Bangkok residents since 2018. The commissioning ceremony included a traditional blessing and sacrifice to Mae Ya Nang, an ancient Thai deity and Guardian Goddess of boats.

“This is an important achievement for the city of Bangkok and a key part of our Thailand 4.0 Smart City vision for an integrated clean, green public transportation system including bus, rail and waterways,” said Dr Ekarin asanasong, deputy managing director of Bangkok Metropolitan Authority’s Enterprise Krungthep Thanakom Company (KT BMA).

The 47.5 foot fibreglass vessels are repowered by MariArt Shipyard, replacing 205hp diesel engines with twin Torqeedo Cruise 10 kW electric outboards, twelve Power 24-3500 lithium batteries and four fast chargers.

The 30-passenger, zero-emission water taxis are part of a fleet of ferries operated by KT BMA.The high-tech vessels depart every 15 minutes, are fully accessible for wheelchair users and offer bicycle storage.

‘Most congested city’

Bangkok was recently named the world’s most congested city by navigation company TomTom and the transport sector contributes a quarter of Bangkok’s carbon emissions – higher than the global average.

“Adding electric ferries to the intermodal public transport plan accomplishes the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority’s goals in two ways – moving passengers from roads to the waterways reduces congestion and, since the boats are 100% emission-free, they don’t contribute to harmful local air pollution,” said Dr Michael Rummel, Torqeedo’s managing director.